MANCHESTER, England — Enzo Maresca has said Manchester City “need different solutions” after playing Marc Guéhi in midfield against Bournemouth on Sunday.
City came from behind to win 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium thanks to two late goals from Guéhi and Josko Gvardiol.
With a shortage of midfielders after the departures of Rodri and Tijjani Reijnders this week, Maresca was forced to pick Guéhi in midfield in an unusual City team — and the Italian said afterwards that he cannot rule out using the 26-year-old in a similar role again.
“It’s a solution,” Maresca said. “I don’t know if it can be for the next game, but it’s a solution. We need different solutions.”
“When you visualise and it’s good, in future when you need, you know if he’s going to play there, he’s going to be good. So it’s another solution.”
Guéhi himself said that he was happy to help out in his alternative role.
“It was the idea that the manager had. We worked on it in the week. He is trying different things,” he said.
“I’m glad it paid off in the end. I had a lot of help. Playing next to Elliot helps, playing in front of [Gvardiol and Rúben Dias] helps. And whoever is next to me, Nico [O’Reilly].
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“It helps having guys who are experienced in that position to talk me through the game. I’ll do whatever the team ask me to do. It’s for the team, it’s not for myself.”
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Maresca added there is still work to be done to the squad ahead of the transfer deadline.
“This is a work in progress,” the City boss said. “It’s one more week to go, [before the deadline] eight days, so for sure something is going to happen.
For a long time it looked like Maresca’s first Premier League game as City boss would end in defeat after James Tavernier’s first-half opener for Bournemouth.
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The home side struggled to find any flow to their play until Guéhi scored from a corner and Josko Gvardiol found a winner in stoppage time.
“The perfect day. I was pleased at the end because we gave them [the fans] the joy of three points, to win the game,” he said.
“So I have to say it was quite emotional, and it was the perfect day.”
